Real estate hopeful eager for knowledge

[Chris Chesser]

I am extremely new to both the BP community and real estate in general. I'm hoping to get a bit of advice as to ways to get more educated and more prepared to begin investing.

I currently have very little in savings (too many vacations and a 1 year old son) but I am beginning to set money aside for a future down payment, so I have plenty of time to learn and research properties. First of all, I am looking for recommendations on books (besides the ones on this site) pertaining to rental properties, evaluating repair costs and other related topics as rentals are mainly what I would like to pursue.

Secondly, I would like to know if any of you have tips/recommendations on how to get started on a smaller income in a small market (northern IL) for someone like myself with a gross income of only around 35k. My short term goal in real estate is to generate some additional cash flow while gaining experience.

Thanks for sticking through the lengthy post and I look forward to reading any responses!